Changes
by hannabananas
Summary: What happens when Robert Goren becomes involved with a younger woman? R. Goren / Original Character. Set in the Season Four time frame. Focuses on Goren's personal life for now but will probably entwine with his professional life soon enough. R & R!
1. Prelude

His hands were large. He had long, slender fingers. They engulfed her own as he took her hands into his. His hands were warm and gave her a sense of protection. His eyes were dark and seemed to take everything in around him. It seemed that his eyes had seen more than anyone's fair share of pain and that his eyes could see right into another person, striaght down to their very soul to learn and know everything about them. She didn't care. Something about him made her want him to be able to see everything about her in that very moment. He had a gorgeous smile that lit up his whole face when he smiled, and his short, dark brown yet kinky hair was greying in certain spots. He was on attractive older man with a baby face or so she thought. She couldn't believe they had lived next door to each other for years and had only met because he did her a favor. She couldn't believe, that deep down, she found him to be someone she was attracted to and someone she loved.

She couldn't believe how their lives entwined and changed together because of each other.

This is their story.


	2. Big, Old, Bad Boyfriend

"Go away and stay away!" the young woman yelled.

She was a short and slender young lady. She had short, brown hair that barely met the napes of her shoulders. With matching dark, brown eyes, she was standing at the top of her townhouse staircase, pointing her finger at a young man as she yelled.

"But, baby..." the young man started as he climbed the staircase toward her.

She pushed him back and moved away from him. She was dressed in the casual jeans and t-shirt with tennis shoes. The only jewelry on her were earrings and a small nose stud on her left nostril. The young man seemed to dressed in the same kind of casual attire, but there was just a sense between the two that they were not friends.

"I am not your baby! I don't even know you. You need to leave me alone, and I mean that!" the young woman yelled again, fright overtaking her features.

At the same time, an older man was walking up the sidewalk toward the townhouse on the left side of the young woman's. There were a set of three townhouses. The older man lived in the one on the left, the yelling young lady in the middle, and an elderly couple on the right of the young woman.

"Don't you want to have another steamy night like before?" the young man asked, moving closer to the young woman again.

She moved away from him, toward the bottom of the staircase.

"We've never even as much as hung out! Don't you get it? You're delusional!" the young woman screamed louder tihs time, the fight becoming even more apparent.

The older man was dressed in slacks and a button up dress shirt with a matching tie. It was the spring time, and it was late in the afternoon in New York. It was still cool outside explaining why he was wearing his blazer still. There was no doubt that this older man could see and hear everything going on during this scene with the young woman and man. He knew he had to speak up on behalf of the young woman when he met the staircase.

"Excuse me," the older man interjected into the intense conversation, "Is he bothering you?"

He looked from the young man to the young woman who nodded carefully.

The older man looked from the young woman to the young man and scratched the top of his head before speaking.

"You know you can get in serious trouble for harrassing her? From what I hear and see, not only are you harrassing her, but you're possibly stalking her, too. Listen, I would beat it and never show up around here again," the older man said calmly to the young man.

The young man looked back and forth between the young woman and the older man several times before nodding understandingly.

"You bitch! You got big, old, bad boyfriend in on our relationship!" the young man yelled.

The older man was so much taller than her, a good foot and a few inches, but she didn't care at this point. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes at the nonsense still coming out of this crazy young man's mouth.

"You're damn right!" the young woman said as she moved to place an arm around the older man's waist, reaching up to kiss him on his cheek. "I told him all about you. He's going to kick your ass."

The young man rushed down the stairs town the young woman, but the older man stepped infront of her, causing the young man to take a few steps back.

The older man pulled out his badge and showed it to the younger man.

"Actually, this big, old, bad boyfriend is a cop that have my buddy, the ADA, put out a warrant for your arrest, and we'll see how bad you want to act when Big Billy wants to be your friend over at Riker's," the older man said, knowing he was trying to bluff the younger man but wanted to seem as if he was saying it without a doubt.

The young man blinked only a few times while the young woman rose her eyebrow. She had seen him plenty of times before coming and going, but she never thought he was a cop. A businessman, maybe, but not a cop.

The younger woman stepped forward once again to place her arm around the older woman's waist. She didn't know him, and he didn't know her. But for this younger man that wouldn't leave her alone, it was imperative that he believe the two of them were an item. At this point, it didn't seem to matter if she was going to be marked weird for it or not.

"Thank you, baby," the younger woman cooed.

The older man leaned over to kiss the younger woman on the cheek before speaking.

Obviously, he didn't have a problem with her trying to make this younger man believe what they were trying to put off, either.

"No problem, honey," he cooed right back. He then stared at the younger man for a good minue before jumping forward, stmping his foot. "Boo!"

The younger man took off running without looking back. The younger woman knew it was all because of the older man, the policeman helping her out. If it weren't for him, she would probably still be dealing with him.

And before the young woman could say thank you, the older man told her the younger man should be leaving her alone now and was up his staircase and in his townhouse in a matter of minutes. This left the woman sort of listless, wanting to say thank you. And more importantly, wanting to know about this super cop that played the part of white knight coming to her rescue.


	3. Detective Mumbo Jumbo

**DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR INFO : I do not own Robert Goren or any other character on Law & Order: CI. They belong to one Dick Wolf. Some things in my story are fictionalized such as stores, restaurants, and schools. This is because I have never and never will live in New York. I can't guarantee a piece of genius because I haven't wrote fan fic in a long time. So, please be gentle when reading and reviewing. I don't know how much drama and how much fluff this story will entail, because the idea only popped in my head a few days ago and I'm writing it to where ever my muse takes me, so be ready for all kinds of things in this story. Rated M for future language, violence, and adult themes. Happy reading! And thank you for all the subscriptions and reviews so far!**

**TO COFFEE SHOP POET : You gave me an amazing idea to already have them together. It made this chapter flow a lot smoother than my original idea. The readers are able to get a little bit of the back story in this chapter and the way they interact together and their relationship. I do think we'll get more backstory and information on their relationship and how they interact together and their thoughts on their relationship as the story continues, maybe even a chapter or two set in the past when they were just starting to get to know each other. But I hope this answers some questions so far!**

* * *

The young woman was left standing on the sidewalk between her townhouse and the older man's. It was becoming even more chilly outside by the second, and the skin bared from underneath her short sleeves had chillbumps forming. She brought her hands up to rub along her arms while she teetered between two choices. She could go ahead and face what was waiting on her in the older man's townhouse or put it off until later by going into her own. The younger woman sighed heavily and made her way toward the staircase leading up to the older man's townhouse.

She advanced up the stairs, and when she reached the door, she stopped and didn't move after placing her hand on the doorknob. SHe wasn't sure if she should let herself in like so many times before or knock since she knew he was probably angry. With a shrug of the shoulder and a quick flick of the wrist, she was inside the townhouse and closing and locking it behind her. She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly as she rested all of her weight against the door.

"Bobby?" She questioned to no one specific since she did not see him anywhere anyway.

There was silence.

While she waited through the silence, she ws able to take in the all too familiar living room which surrounded her. The walls were the same cream color as her own. There were still the random plants sitting in certain spots and the few pictures of him with his family were hanging on the wall. It was clean like always. Something was different, though.

That's when she saw it. There was a frame that sat on the mantle above the fireplace. It held two four by six photos. Both photos were from the Officer's Ball he had taken her to last December, but one was of them sitting side by side with huge smiles on their faces while the other was of her trying to pose a kiss on his cheek while he was too busy laughing at her. He had worn a traditional tux with a red tie to match her red, silk dress.

That was the first time he had presented her to his colleagues since they had started seeing each other in October. There were questions in al of thier eyes when they finally met the girl that made his eyes light up and a smile more apparent on his face every day. They saw the age difference, let alone the nose stud. At that time, she was just twenty two years old, having only turned twenty three two months later in February. He was forty three at the time, getting ready to turn forty four in August. That night she met his partner - Alex Eames - his boss - James Deakins - and the ADA, Ron Carver.

They all seemed to wonder about them and the age difference until they saw just how happy she made him and vice versa. It was obvoius in their eyes and smiles, and it was obvious he had just gotten those photos or had been holding out on her. That was like him, though. He took his time getting to know someone, and he took his time trusting someone enough to think of them as part of his family. And she knew that was the case, otherwise; he wouldn't have photos of them sitting in his living room.

She soon snapped out of her memories when a loud thud came from the kitchen made her jump. From the silence came one, loud thud, and she pulled all he weight from the door and walked slowly into the next room, the room where the sound had come from. She came faceto face with the older man who had dropped his binder onto the table, hung his blazer on the back of a chair, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, and leaned against the counter with his hands on the countertop. She could tell he didn't look happy judging by the way his brow was furrowed and by the way the creases in his forehead appeared.

She chose to stay standing where she was.

"What the hell was that, Jessica?" he asked her, almost demanding an answer.

"Nothing," she answered, speaking softly.

"It was sure as hell something! Why didn't you tell me something like that was going on?" he asked again, crossing his arms.

She mirrored his movements by crossing her own arms.

"I knew if I told you that you'd pull out some of that detective mumbo jumbo," she said.

"That detective mumbo jumbo helps people every day," she said, his eyes not leaving her.

She uncrossed her arms, pushing her hands into her pockets.

"I know it does, but that's not what I meant, either. I knew if I told you, you'd jump into full on detective mode without hesitation," she said, not taking her own eyes away from him.

"Just tell me what the hell it was," he said, almost demanding an answer once again, placing his hands back on the countertop.

She sighed. There was no getting out of this. She knew he was angry, and the use of her full name and not Jess - the much shorter and much preferred version of her name - proved that even further. She didn't think he was unreasonable being angry. In fact, she knew he had every full right to be angry. He was only trying to look out for her well being since, well, she wasn't.

"His name is Donnie Manner. He came into the store looking for a Layla, but we don't have a Layla working there. I guess he followed me home because he'd show up randomly at my dor for the past few weeks, claiming we've spent time together. Such bullshit. Who knew selling jewelry could be so dangerous," she said, shaking her head from side to side.

"Past few weeks?" he questioned again, scratching the back of his neck while he cocked his head to the side. His eyes were still on her.

She shrugged.

"I just didn't want you to be worried. You already deal with that shit at work every day," she said, nodding slowly.

His eyes became big then. His brows were no longer furrowed, and the creases in his forehead were fading away quickly. It was like his eyes were softening at something she had just said.

"Come here," he said, pointing to the space in front of him.

She rose her eyebrow as she bit her lower lip to hidde a smile that wanted to escape as he gave her an innocent look.

"Ugh," she groaned, as she walked toward him.

When she was standing where he wanted her to stand, she lifted her arms to snake around his waist. She was only five foot compared to his six foot four inches. When she went to rest her forehead against him, she only met halfway up his chest. She was a short, little thing, but he thought she was cute as hell.

His hands left their resting place to rest on her hips, his back was now against the countertop as he let all of his weight rest there.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly, letting her hands run up and down his back. He leaned over just slightly and rested his chin on top of her head. She was being dragged back into her memories like she had been in the living room.

Jess couldn't believe it was April already, almost May. It had been seven months since they had met and six months since they had started seeing each other exclusively. She knew an older man was living next door to her and had been since she moved in her own townhouse when she turned eighteen. She had been living there five years before they even spoke, and even that was on accident. She came outside in a tank top and shorts - her pajamas - on a cold, October morning to pick up the paper that had been delivered to her for quite some time. Only this time, she accidentally locked herself out of the house. She had no phone with her and no keys to get back in, and the only other person to have a key was her mom. She would have given the key to her sister, but she was only fourteen. She would have been at school, anyway, and that would have sucked for Jess. She had only one choice, and that was to sit on her staircaise with her arms cuddled around her until someone came out of their townhouse or walked by with a cell phone. There was no way she was walking across town to her parents' place in her pajamas.

Just lucky enough for her, the next person to come out their townhouse was one Robert Goren. He walked out, closed and locked his door, and walked down his staircaise only to get a glimpse of the girl on her staircase. He introduced himself as a detective and asked if there was anything he could do, obviously noting the girl was in her pajamas and cussing to herself. He opened his home to her by letting her use her phone to call her mom and by letting her wait there until her mom was able to get there. Of course, he didn't leave her alone in his home. He waited there with her, since he had only met the girl that morning. He offered her hot coffee to warm her up, and the two talked about random things until her mom showed up. Before he let her leave, he asked her out to dinner that same night and made sure she accepted. He wouldn't take no as an answer, even if she wanted to say no because she was embarrassed her saw her cussing and in her pajamas. The two talked about more that night at dinner, and they began seeing a lot more of each other until it became clear on a chilly November night when they were taking a walk that they were together exclusively. He stopped her and kissed her, and nothing more needed to be said. She knew - and he knew - exactly what was being said.

She was soon brought out of her memories once agan. Only this time, it was his voice to bring her back to the present instead of a loud thud coming from the next room. She brought her head up from his chest and opened her eyes to look up at him.

"I'm not mad at you, Jess," he said. He looked down at the young woman who had brought her head up to look at him. "It's in my nature to worry, that's all. I just want you to be safe, even when I'm not around."

She nodded her head slowly, understanding the thoughts she had as to why he was angry being proven. She knew him well, or wanted to think she said, and she did not blame him for feeling the way he did. If the roles were reversed, she would have probably felt the same way.

"Now, we're going to go file you a restraining order," he said, hoping she noted that she had no other choice.

She cocked her head to the side and looked at him, one eyebrow raising at what he had just said.

He gave her an apologetic look.

"Can we go file you a restraining order?" he asked, hoping she would answer yes this time. He brought his hands up from her hips and went to rest them on the napes of her shoulders. That was until she noticed the small bruises on his hand.

"Jesus Christ, Bobby," she said, taking his hand in her own and turning it over and over to get a look at every bruise. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's what I get for beating the table while interrogating a suspect," he said, still looking down at her.

"You're going to go too far with one of your suspects one of these days, Goren. What are you going to do then?" she said, before kissing his hand softly. Without another thought, she placed his hands where he had meant to place them before she spotted the bruises and snaked her arms back around his waist.

He smiled down at her. She called him Goren, and he always enjoyed that. It was her way of teasing him, he thought, or her way of trying to sound like a detective.

"You're going to save my ass before that suspect or Eames or Deakins can grill it," he said, almost smirking.

She shook her head from side to side, barely containing a laugh.

"Let's go file that restraining order before you get me anymore hot," she said almost laughing and breaking away from the hold they had on each other. "Just let me go lock up and grab my purse. And a jacket!"

He had already begun pulling his sleeves back down and moved to grab his blazer off the back of the chair.

He looked up when he heard her voice.

"Don't you need to feed Baby?" he asked, teasing her from the first time they met.

She had mentioned that chilly October morning that she didn't even get to feed her Baby before getting locked out, and as always, Robert Goren was curious. He asked her a question about her Baby, and she had to tell him it was her chihuahua-poodle mix dog named after Dirty Dancing. She even went as far to joke that her real baby was with his daddy at that time. His face had went to a blank expression, causing her to break out into a fit of laughter. Only then he knew she was joking, and only then did he finally get her sense of humor. She was surprised that he still wanted to take her out to dinner after getting a taste of her sense of humor.

And again, after he brought that up, she broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, shut up.. I already fed her," she laughed, as she made her way through the living room toward the door. "Meet you outside?" she called to him.

"Yeah," he called back to her.

She was out of his apartment and over and into hers within a minute's time, grabbing the stuff she needed to because she knew as soon as she opened the door, he probably would be waiting on her.


End file.
